Tag Archives: legislator

KILMICHAEL — A long-time state lawmaker from north Mississippi says he’s not seeking re-election next year. Republican Rep. Bobby Howell of Kilmichael said yesterday that he announced his plans early because he wants to give people time to consider running. He has been in the House since 1992, and his District 46 includes all of Montgomery County and parts of ...

JACKSON — Gov. Phil Bryant wants to cut income taxes for low-earning Mississippians as part of his 2016 budget proposal. Bryant, a Republican, said today that he’s seeking a $78.7 million tax cut for families earning less than $50,000 a year. It’s the centerpiece of his spending plan for the 2016 budget year, which begins July 1. Bryant is expected ...

JACKSON — Republican Gov. Phil Bryant is releasing his Mississippi budget blueprint for the coming year. He is expected propose setting aside money for the second year of a teacher pay raise that he approved earlier this year. He’s also expected to propose funding a new program that would help with workforce training in community colleges. Bryant is holding an ...

JACKSON — Former Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps, who resigned abruptly this week, has been charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a Rankin County businessman connected to several private prison companies. Epps is accused of receiving more than $700,000 from 2008 to 2014. The 49-count federal indictment, unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Jackson, also ...

JACKSON — A Mississippi man with a history of trying to enshrine Old South symbols in the state constitution is trying again, this time hoping to change the state song to “Dixie” and require officials to fly a Confederate battle flag outside the Capitol. But getting a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot can be difficult, with signatures required from ...

JACKSON — Mississippi’s corrections commissioner suddenly resigned yesterday in the face of an apparent federal investigation. Christopher Epps had led the state prison system for 12 years. Gov Phil Bryant named Deputy Commissioner Richard McCarty as the interim leader of the state prison system until a permanent commissioner is selected. Epps did not return a telephone call seeking comment. House ...

JACKSON — Mississippi has state elections in 2015, and it’s a safe bet that lawmakers will try to endear themselves to voters by debating a tax cut. Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves are both seeking re-election, and they’re already reciting familiar Republican talking points by saying people should keep more of the money they earn. Any proposal ...

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Mention highway safety and people have all sorts of ideas of what that means. To the Highway Patrol, it suggests expanding the ranks of state troopers. For the Mississippi Department of Transportation, it’s a well-maintained road system. For Mothers Against Drunk Driving, getting intoxicated drivers off the roads is the highest priority. And there are those against ...

JACKSON — Van Allen has been processing deer meat and selling gear to hunters and anglers for 20 years in Mississippi and other parts of the South. Like many outdoors enthusiasts, he thinks hunting and fishing are birthrights that ought to be constitutionally protected. “As far as I am concerned anything that protects first our right to bear arms and ...

JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is requesting a $46 million budget boost in the coming year. That would be a 26 percent increase, from $176 million to nearly $223 million. It would pay for a variety of items, such as up-to-date Crime Lab equipment, and employees such as new state troopers and a new worker to receive ...